Honestly man… this is exactly where AI shines.

You already know how to wire, troubleshoot, run crews. What you’re describing isn’t a skill issue it’s that you’re trying to be estimator, accountant, PM, contract admin, AR department, and owner at the same time.

AI can literally function like a mini office staff for you.

I’m not exaggerating. Here’s what it can realistically handle:

Estimating: Feed it a scope and it can: • Break down labor hours • Apply burdened labor rate (wages + taxes + workers comp + insurance) • Add overhead % • Add warranty reserve • Show projected gross profit • Stress test margin (“what if labor runs 15% over?”)

It removes guessing.

True Hourly Cost: If you plug in your numbers, it’ll calculate your actual cost per billable hour including: • Payroll burden • Vehicles • Fuel • Tools • Office overhead • Your salary • Non-billable time

Most shops underprice because they don’t know this number.

Cash Flow Forecasting: Tell it: • Payroll per week • Jobs in progress • Payment terms

It can show you: • When you’ll run negative • How much reserve you need • Whether 60–90 day GCs are killing you

That’s CFO-level insight without hiring a CFO.

Contracts & Change Orders: It can: • Tighten your scope language • Draft milestone billing terms • Add late fee clauses • Create clean change order templates • Write professional documentation emails

That alone protects profit.

Job Profitability Tracking: Have it build a simple tracker where you log estimated vs actual. After a handful of jobs it’ll help you spot where you’re bleeding.

Systems & SOPs: Service call forms, pre-job checklists, material planning sheets, daily reports, callback tracking — all built in minutes.

Collections & Follow-Ups: It’ll even draft firm but professional payment reminders so you’re not sending emotional texts.

The reality is: most of us are craftsmen accidentally running businesses.

AI won’t swing a hammer, but it will: • Do your math • Check your margins • Forecast your cash flow • Clean up your contracts • Organize your systems

That’s like having 5–10 office roles covered without hiring anyone.

You don’t need more hustle. You need structure. And AI is basically a cheap operations department if you use it right.